MichelePiece3

“In Defense of Junk Mail”

I hate going to my mailbox and not finding any mail. I check it daily. I like to check it. Some people avoid checking their mail because they are afraid to find bills or other pieces of “bad” news. Not me. I want whatever is in there. Chances are, if it is a bill, I won’t open it until bill-paying day. But, I like the idea of picking the mail up out of the box anyway.

My mailbox is attached to my house, on my porch. So it’s not like I have to walk anywhere to retrieve it. I can just crack open my front door, and slip my hand into the shiny red box. I can even manage to do this while I am nude - or, if it’s just too hot, or too cold, or too whatever.

I especially like getting magazines. I like the idea of having something of substantial size in my mailbox. Even if that magazine is something I never ordered – I still delight in looking it over. I’ve been receiving Baby Talk magazine for about six months now, and my kids are all grown. Of course, along with the Baby Talk magazine, I often get mailers about Pampers, or some other baby product. Weird. Does this bother me? No. I dig getting mail. I love catalogs too. Again, even if I will never buy anything from the catalog – like Fingerhut, for example, I always look through it anyway. I recycle paper, so I don’t even feel bad about paper waste. And, it’s not like I hoard mail or magazines or anything like that. I’m not that strange.

This brings me to my point about “junk" mail. Most people hate it. Some go as far as packaging the ‘junk” mail and returning it to its original sender. Not me. I devour my junk mail. I relish and delight in all of the colorful envelopes and advertisements and catalogs that show up in my mailbox. In fact, I can’t wait to open them. Mail, even junk mail, makes me feel important, significant, viable, noticed, alive – hey, my name’s on it! Even if it is computer generated—I still like seeing my name on a piece of mail, regardless the kind. Now, I do get a bit disappointed if my junk mail is addressed simply “resident,” but after all… mail is mail. I’ll take it.

I could go on and on about the fun and nifty ways junk mail can be used. Sometimes free mailing labels will arrive. These fluffy packages often come from obscure groups like "The Tree Huggers Society" or some other noble organization hoping for a donation. Even if the label are misspelled or a bit hokey, they still serve their purpose. And what about junk mail as scrap paper? It’s great when you are in a pinch. Junk mail also makes for handy bookmarks and coasters. It’s also perfect for wrapping up a stale piece of gum.

So, I must admit that I do feel a bit “empty” when I go to my mailbox and find nothing there. I feel a little blue. I begin to doubt my validation as a consumer, or even as a living, breathing member of the human race. Junk mail, or any kind of mail, lifts me up for a moment and helps me confirm that my trip, or “reach,” to the mailbox was not in vain. So, from one who truly appreciated the benefits of junk mail, I say- bring it on!

Dawn-I have to say there was a time in my life when I agreed. I felt validated to be important enough to be on somebody's mailing list. I do still have a private addiction to catalogs. It saddens me that I don't receive as many. Now it is all email, and not nearly as satisfying. What a hoot!

Adrienne--I //love// your vivid imagery and use of detail! I have to admit to being one of those people who don't relish a mailbox full of junk mail, but I appreciate your perspective and voice. Do you mean to have the "mailbox" repetition in the third paragraph? This is such a positive, look-at-the-bright-side attitude I don't often see, and it's refreshing!